Alone - A BeChloe Week Submission
by RJRMovieFan
Summary: Chloe has been forgotten. Returning from the USO trip, all her friends go their own way, and she quickly finds herself alone, which was always one of her worst fears.


**A/N: Seriously, I really just couldn't get these stories in on time. This time I couldn't even get it on during BeChloe Week. Oh-well. This took me awhile because it's a bit darker, okay a lot darker. Then my family and I went on a quick beach trip, and the hotel had crap for Wi-Fi. I know, First World problems. **

**This story was inspired by my writing buddy BeChloeIsLesgit, and one of her stories. This is my fourth entry into this year's BeChloe Week, and it's Post PP3. I hope you like. **

**As always, I do not own Pitch Perfect, or any of their characters, I just really like them.**

**BeChloe Week **

_**Alone**_

Chloe Beale sat alone on her bed, a bed that took up half her tiny little New York apartment; an apartment that was maybe a fifth of the size of the one she used to share with two of her best friends, Beca Mitchell and Fat Amy.

At least she thought they were her best friends.

She wasn't so sure anymore. She wasn't sure she had any friends anymore.

It didn't start out this way. It never does. She was just a happy go lucky girl, just like any other girl. Yes, maybe life would have been easier if she had had a clear plan, or was ambitious like Beca, but she had been happy, living with two of her three best friends, ready to indulge in whatever life was going to throw at her. Yes, her late twenties had been a bit rudderless, but she could handle it, because she had been surrounded by her friends, and they would get her through it, just as she would do for them.

That was how being friends worked, right? That was what it meant to be a Bella, right?

You helped each other to grow, and be their best.

You gave them someone to listen to when they needed to rant, or wanted to cheer. In turn they did the same for you.

You gave them a shoulder to cry on, or a hand when they wanted a high-five. Then when you needed the shoulder or high-five, they were available.

You are each other's' support systems and the world better watch out, because they are your shield against the evils of the world, and there was nothing you couldn't do.

You'll just be there for them, and they for you; or so you thought.

That's what the Bellas had been for her, especially Aubrey and Fat Amy, and even more so Beca.

Thoughts of Beca, reminded Chloe that she had lost her friend; and she still wasn't sure why.

Beca had returned from France, and almost immediately flown to L.A. to start working with DJ Khaled on her solo career. But even before she left, Chloe had noticed a distance; walls reforming. Chloe had been so confused. They had been in such a good place before the trip. And yes, it might not have been the relationship she had always wanted with the moody musician, but at least they had been together, close, almost something more.

Now Beca was gone.

Had Beca finally realized the truth? Had she realized that there was nothing special about Chloe? Had she worried that clingy Chloe would try to latch on, and ride Beca's coattails?

Amy had gone just as quickly, off to the Cayman Islands, to collect her 180 million dollars. Chloe wasn't surprised about Amy. Amy had always considered Beca her best friend, Chloe always figured she fell into the 'Facebook friend' category with the Aussie.

Of course, there had been hugs and tears, and promises of keeping in touch. The promises had all proved false.

"_Don't you worry, Ginger, I'll take care of the rent," Amy said, as she gave Chloe a hug. "It's the least I can do, after you and Shortstack covering for me."_

"_Thanks Ames," Chloe said, as she gave the blonde Aussie a big hug. "I appreciate it. I couldn't afford this on my own. And I don't think I could find roommates to help share even if I wanted to."_

"_Not a problem. Just let me get my money, and it'll all be taken care of."_

_Chloe then turned to Beca, who had been stiff, and a bit stand-offish ever since returning from France. "Well, Becs, guess this is goodbye."_

"_Ummm-yeah," Beca scratched at the back of neck, her tell that she was uncomfortable. Chloe pushed past the awkwardness, and swept Beca into a strong embrace. She had battered down Beca's walls before. She knew she could do it again. _

"_Keep in touch, Becs," Chloe whispered in her ear. "Tell me everything. I want to know it all."_

Little did Chloe realize that would be the last she heard from either of them.

Fat Amy didn't come through. The rent never got paid, and Chloe started burning through her meager savings. She reached out to Fat Amy, but didn't hear back. She might have been worried about the girl from down under, but the Bellas chat kept getting updates and pictures from Amy traveling the world on her new yacht.

Chloe realized rather quickly that it wasn't Amy doing the postings; she seemed to have hired an assistant. Chloe tried to reach out to Amy through the assistant, but had received a basic form letter response.

After six months, with the lease up, and in debt, Chloe had moved out of the apartment. The landlord had threatened her if she didn't pay all that she owed, so Chloe had given up her cellphone's data plan so she could scrape up the money. It didn't seem like she needed it anyway.

Aubrey had gone on a spiritual journey of self-discovery, and so had gone offline, so she wasn't available to ask for help, and Beca…

Well, that really hurt.

Chloe wasn't sure what happened. They had lived together for years, and she had considered the talented DJ her best friend; but when they returned from France, something had changed. Beca had her walls back up, and they seemed especially high for Chloe.

She had tried to reach out to Beca. She had texted, sent Instagrams, and Facebook messages. They hadn't been returned. After a while, Chloe had taken the hint; Hollywood Beca didn't have time for sad Chloe.

When Chloe's bag was snatched one night while she was leaving the subway, Chloe lost her phone. She didn't have the money to pay for a new one, and she couldn't really afford the phone plans anyway, so she ended up getting a cheap cell phone, with no data plan.

In the summer Chloe had had to take a leave of absence from her schooling. She needed to earn more money, and she couldn't balance both studying and working three jobs.

She hoped to go back. Planned to go back, but it wasn't likely. She was alone, with no one to help her. A situation she was all too familiar with. She didn't talk about it much, but after her mother died in her sophomore year of high school, she became rather estranged from her father.

Something about her personality and demeanor always led people to believe she came from a big loving family. Except it was quite the opposite. Part of her always figured that the reason she had hung on so fiercely to the Bellas, was it was the closest thing she had to a family. There was another reason, but that had never gone anywhere; and all evidence suggesting otherwise was never as close as she liked to think.

Of course, the extra years in school had driven an even bigger wedge between Chloe and her father. He was so pissed that she took seven years to graduate. He was embarrassed by her. He was starting a new family, and didn't seem all that keen to have her around. He basically cut her out of his life. Luckily for her, he didn't control her trust fund, so she had been able to pay for her extra years, though she now wished she had some of that money. It would have come in handy.

No family and no friends; she had no one.

During her last, and what seemed to be her final time with the Bellas, Chloe had caught the eye of a young Army officer, Chicago. He was handsome and nice. Since it had grown to be painfully apparent that a certain talented brunette DJ was never going to see her in the way that she wanted, Chloe had tried to find something else, someone else. She even decided to be bold and marched up to him after Beca's performance, and kissed him. She knew she was in some way mirroring Beca's actions with Jesse after they won Nationals their first time, but that didn't matter. The trouble was, while that particular moment was great, he was still stationed in Europe and she was still living in Brooklyn.

"_I'm sorry," Chloe said with tears in her eyes._

"_Why?" Chicago asked._

"_You're such a nice guy, and I would love to have been able to make it work, but…" Chloe said._

_Chicago filled in the rest, "But, I live permanently in Italy, and you in New York?"_

"_Essentially, but also, I…"_

"_Have feelings for someone else?"_

"_Yeah…" Chloe said, choking up, "I'm sorry…"_

They remained in touch for a while, but there was no connection, no spark. Neither had enough in common with the other to keep it going once they were no longer in close proximity. So, it had faded, till one day he told her he had met someone else.

She knew it wasn't completely true, but she also felt that it was. To Chloe, it felt as if she had been cast aside by everybody; forgotten without a second thought... Replaceable.

Out in California, Beca had started to garner some attention. There were pictures of Beca with celebs, execs, and other rising stars. Chloe studied them with both pride and jealousy. She was so proud of Beca, but also jealous; jealous of the people who were now Beca's new friends.

The people who had made Chloe…

… Replaceable. That's what she was.

And that was the worst feeling she had ever come to know.

Chloe looked over at a picture of Beca and her. It was from a happier time. It was a selfie taken in Copenhagen, not long after winning Worlds. They had been friends then. Good friends, with Chloe secretly wanting more.

Over their shared years at Barden, and in New York, they had got along nicely with the other, and there had always been a chemistry between them. Anyone miles away could tell that they had something going on.

They'd met at the activities fair, and then again in the showers, and as they say, the rest was history. And for the next few years, they were deeply rooted in each other's lives. You would almost never find one without the other close by. They had a bond that no one else around them quite got, and that's what made it special.

Or, so she had thought.

Most people mistook Chloe's personality as being open. That she allowed everyone and anyone close. This wasn't true at all. She just decorated her walls with colorful designs. Her bubbly personality really just a defense mechanism, not that dissimilar from Beca's.

Maybe that was why she had latched onto the snarky alt-girl. Beca had been allowed in, closer than Chloe had allowed anyone else in a long time. And it was the most exhilarating whenever she saw her.

Beca and the Bellas had meant so much to Chloe. Being a Bella meant she was part of something special. She had been able to be herself and she didn't need to pretend to be someone else. She thought that being a Bella had shown her it was okay to just be her lame self, but now she didn't know that was true. Now she remembered all the snickering when she would try to give a heartfelt toast. Now she was sure that the Bellas had only been humoring her.

The Bellas used to provide Chloe with so much comfort and warmth, she could never get enough of them. She would even go as far as to say she truly loved them. But then Beca left her…

… And that was that.

Chloe was alone. Her greatest fear.

In less than a year, Chloe had learned many hard lessons. The first being that no one tells you that not having friends means that you have to become very self-reliant. The second lesson Chloe learned was not to trust anyone but yourself and self-preservation is all you care about.

Chloe had learned the second lesson the hard way. With no friends and family, Chloe had missed human interaction, and decided to go to a bar and have a drink. She could only afford one, so she planned only one. Unfortunately, life tends to not follow plans. While at the bar, she had been approached by a guy who reminded her of an old flame, Tom. Like Tom, he was tall and handsome, with brown hair and eyes. He had offered to buy Chloe a drink. She was just finishing her own, and thought why not, one more wouldn't be a bad thing. The trouble was, the next thing she knew she was waking up in a stairwell, with all the signs she had had sex.

She didn't remember any of it; she didn't even remember finishing the second drink. She realized she had been given a 'mickey'.

She felt so stupid. She felt so low and used.

Now she no longer went out. It wasn't safe.

Lesson number three for Chloe, was she had to close herself off. A person in her situation, can't help but close themselves off from the world. She was afraid to trust anyone now. The test on the sink was a reminder of that.

And just like that, Chloe's presence had been erased. It was like she had never been there, and nothing she had ever done mattered.

There was no longer any pretending that she was in any way special. She had come to realize the only reason she had ever done anything was so that she wouldn't be lonely; and she had failed miserably. She had always been afraid of being alone, to be the only one in the world who ever cared about her; but that was exactly what had happened.

Yet, she had no choice but to continue living, out of spite, out of self-preservation. Chloe thought maybe she should get some water, she's thirsty, but it would take energy she doesn't have. She knows she should get up and wash her face; maybe even take a full shower. It might help as it has been four days since she properly showered.

Again, she had no energy.

Chloe didn't know what to do, so she just laid there. It's not like she mattered. They forgot her, she would just lie here and forget them…

She looked at another picture of just Beca sitting on her bed, mixing music, and Chloe knew she would never be able to forget.

Chloe woke; she didn't even remember falling asleep. The apartment was dark again, it was its normal state.

She must have been tired, because she hasn't been sleeping. Sleep tends to be a difficult thing for her to attain lately, despite the many hours she spends in bed. And when she did fall asleep, it always ended the same, with her waking up in the middle of the night with tears streaming down her face.

She's hungry; but then that's the usual state of things. She hadn't had dinner, and her lunch was an apple and some saltine crackers she kept from her soup the other night. It's been two weeks since she really ate; her appetite gone since she read the test.

There's some part of Chloe that knows she should eat; but she feels sick, and the very thought of eating churns her stomach. Even now, the slight hunger pains in her stomach vie with the vaguest tingles of queasiness in the back of her throat.

There was a knock at the door. This shocked the Hell out of the redhead. There's never a knock on her door. It literally hasn't happened since she moved into this closet posing as an apartment.

She isn't sure what to do. Chloe doesn't want to talk to anyone. Thinking of talking to anyone makes her stomach just as queasy as the thought of eating.

She shuffles to the edge of the mattress and stands up after making sure she could, given her weakened legs. At some point in the process of getting up, Chloe started crying. She doesn't know when or why; all she knows is that she does.

She begins the long journey of eight feet to the door. As she walks, the knock is repeated; a little more forceful this time. There's a terrible feeling in Chloe's chest that is dragging her down. It feels like she'll collapse any second.

She reaches the door, but doesn't take the door handle. Her throat tightened and Chloe can feel another sob welling inside her. She shouldn't have the energy to cry anymore; it's all she ever does, but more tears come. The knock is repeated, and it jolts Chloe. Quickly, she reaches for the door handle, partly just to keep from falling.

The door is opening, but Chloe isn't sure she's actually opening it.

And there before her is a ghost from the past.

"Chloe?"

That voice, one she has loved to listen to for so long. The voice that called to her like a siren in the showers so many years ago.

Chloe feels completely disconnected from herself. Is she hallucinating? Is this a dream? Chloe wants to say something, but her throat hurts so bad, it feels like she may never speak again.

Beca steps into her apartment, but Chloe still isn't sure if she's seeing things. "Chloe, are you okay?"

Chloe can only shrug, apathy in her eyes. She finally finds enough ability to ask, "Beca, why are you here?" Chloe can hear her voice; it's hoarse from lack of use.

"I came to find you," Beca said.

Chloe's world went dark.

_**To be continued **_

**A/N: So, this story always felt like it needed to be a bit longer than a one-shot, so it will be a three-part story. It will be good practice for me to still keep it rather short and yet, still tell a good story. Well I hope by the time it is over, you feel it is a good story. **


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